PhillyGirl
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http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...hat-he-helped-build-in-seattle-223519413.html
It wasn't like this when Shaun Alexander first became a Seattle Seahawk, not by a long shot. The Seahawks franchise that drafted him 14 years ago looks nothing like the organization now that is heralded not only for its infrastructure but for fans that are among the most rabid in the NFL.
The No. 19 pick in the 2000 NFL draft, Alexander was the cornerstone of the youth movement in Seattle that led the franchise to its most successful run in its history up to that point. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and twice led the league in rushing during his eight seasons in Seattle.
The Seahawks didn't feel like a winner when Alexander arrived in 2000. They played at Husky Stadium on the campus of the University of Washington while their new stadium was under construction and didn't even have a training facility.
Now he looks at the culture around the team and is in awe.
“It's what I always wanted it to be when I first walked into this city the first time,” Alexander told Yahoo Sports. “When I first got here, we were playing in Husky Stadium. When I first got here, we were 6-10. I told my brother when he asked what it is like in Seattle, I told him, 'Coming from Alabama, we have work to do. We don't have our own stadium and we are at a small college for our building offices.' He asked me what I thought and I said, 'We will go to a Super Bowl in five years.'
And now, in large part due to the foundation set years ago by Alexander and several strong draft classes, Seattle is a Super Bowl champion.
Alexander still stays involved with the team and the organization as a whole. Last week, he was in town for the win over the Green Bay Packers and he has partnered with Delta for a promotion that is offering eight Seahawks fans a trip for two, including round trip airfare, hotel and game tickets, to one of eight road games.
Clearly he feels an affinity for the franchise and the culture that he helped grow. For a while at the humdrum and sterile Kingdome and then at Husky Stadium, the Seahawks struggled to draw crowds let alone generate a home-field advantage.
Not anymore.
“I think that we built that. I felt great knowing that I was a part of that success. The norm is average, the norm is not for winners,” Alexander said.
He then rattles off the accomplishments of the team during his tenure, which included five playoff appearances and a trip to the Super Bowl.
“We turned this challenge here in Seattle into being a champion in the sport," Alexander said. "That along with building this. You can only have pride in two things: Building something that is great or continuing of something that is great. Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson and everyone – they've got the thing still rolling. Pretty much sitting on the shoulders of what we built.”
It wasn't like this when Shaun Alexander first became a Seattle Seahawk, not by a long shot. The Seahawks franchise that drafted him 14 years ago looks nothing like the organization now that is heralded not only for its infrastructure but for fans that are among the most rabid in the NFL.
The No. 19 pick in the 2000 NFL draft, Alexander was the cornerstone of the youth movement in Seattle that led the franchise to its most successful run in its history up to that point. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and twice led the league in rushing during his eight seasons in Seattle.
The Seahawks didn't feel like a winner when Alexander arrived in 2000. They played at Husky Stadium on the campus of the University of Washington while their new stadium was under construction and didn't even have a training facility.
Now he looks at the culture around the team and is in awe.
“It's what I always wanted it to be when I first walked into this city the first time,” Alexander told Yahoo Sports. “When I first got here, we were playing in Husky Stadium. When I first got here, we were 6-10. I told my brother when he asked what it is like in Seattle, I told him, 'Coming from Alabama, we have work to do. We don't have our own stadium and we are at a small college for our building offices.' He asked me what I thought and I said, 'We will go to a Super Bowl in five years.'
And now, in large part due to the foundation set years ago by Alexander and several strong draft classes, Seattle is a Super Bowl champion.
Alexander still stays involved with the team and the organization as a whole. Last week, he was in town for the win over the Green Bay Packers and he has partnered with Delta for a promotion that is offering eight Seahawks fans a trip for two, including round trip airfare, hotel and game tickets, to one of eight road games.
Clearly he feels an affinity for the franchise and the culture that he helped grow. For a while at the humdrum and sterile Kingdome and then at Husky Stadium, the Seahawks struggled to draw crowds let alone generate a home-field advantage.
Not anymore.
“I think that we built that. I felt great knowing that I was a part of that success. The norm is average, the norm is not for winners,” Alexander said.
He then rattles off the accomplishments of the team during his tenure, which included five playoff appearances and a trip to the Super Bowl.
“We turned this challenge here in Seattle into being a champion in the sport," Alexander said. "That along with building this. You can only have pride in two things: Building something that is great or continuing of something that is great. Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson and everyone – they've got the thing still rolling. Pretty much sitting on the shoulders of what we built.”
